Jharkhand boy who ended up in Kerala reunites with family after 13 years

A Jharkhand boy who accidentally boarded a train to Kerala as a child reunited with his family after 13 years. Raja Gope was traced to his village in Chaibasa through efforts by NGOs and authorities

Chaibasa: A boy hailing from Jharkhand, who ended up in Kerala after boarding a wrong train, reunited with his family after 13 years, police said.

Raja Gope, who is now 19, plays for a football club in Kerala and speaks only Malayalam and Hindi, while he has forgotten his native language, Ho.

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He was a six-year-old child accompanying his father to a brick kiln in neighbouring West Bengal, when he got separated and boarded a Kerala-bound train. He ended up in Ernakulam, where he was rescued by activists and put in a children’s home. He only remembered the first names of his parents, and that he was from Chaibasa, but could not name his village.

In February this year, Gope moved to Kannur under the Kerala Child Welfare Committee’s skill development and rehabilitation programme, and local activists got in touch with non-governmental organisation, Railway Children, and a video of Gope was circulated in Chaibasa, which ultimately led to the tracing of his village.

“Entire Harimara village in Sonua area welcomed Gope on Tuesday as students of his school organised a procession beating ‘dhols’ and ‘nagaras’ (traditional drums) and women performed tribal dance. The boy embraced his weeping mother and four sisters,” a police officer said.

“I want him to stay with us. But I know he plays football in Kerala and has to complete his studies. I will not stop him. At least, we know he is alive and doing well,” his mother Mani Gope  said.

Raja Gope said he was very happy to meet his family.

“I will support my mother and sister and, after landing a good job, will try to take them to Kerala,” he said.

Multiple agencies, including the Jharkhand and Kerala administrations, were involved in reuniting Raja with his family.

Sonua police station officer-in-charge, Shashi Bala Bhengra, said it took time to get all documentation done and a team from Jharkhand went to Kerala to bring him back.

“As per the suggestions of the Kannur aftercare centre, we carried the necessary documents to establish his identity, including a declaration from his mother as his father died four years ago,” he said.

West Singhbhum Superintendent of Police Amit Renu had earlier said that the NGO had alerted them, and Gope’s village was traced.